Northstar

By Gagan Gehani and Jitesh Goel

Documenting discussions with folks who have done cool stuff.

Spanning across entrepreneurship, cracking dream jobs, side projects etc and most importantly the human side of all the hustle... more

Download on the App Store

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

FAQs about Northstar:

How many episodes does Northstar have?

The podcast currently has 9 episodes available.

Northstar episodes:

April 01, 2021 Ep 8: With Ahmed El Sharkasy , Founder and CEO - Knowledge officer
In the 8th episode of #BeingCandid Series, we had Ahmed over ,Founder and CEO - @knowledge.officer, an edtech platform in Egypt, UK and growing globally.

We spoke about:
1. Positive impact of covid on edtech
2. Acceleration of underlying trends in employability driven edtech
3. Practical framework for professionals looking to break into or grow in their career
4. Practicality around passion in life
5. His love for acting and post tech retirement plans
...more
39min
March 01, 2021 Ep 7: Kuntal Malia, Cofounder - StyleNook, Ex - senior exec-Analytics
In the 7th episode of #BeingCandid Series, we haD @kuntalm77 with us. She is the co-founder of @stylenook.in and was previously a senior executive in data and marketing analytics in the silicon valley.

We spoke to her on -
1. Fashion tech - personalising fashion for women
- Impact of covid : evolving value proposition for the users
- Importance of scrappy execution

2. Data - leveraging AI in conjunction with human stylists

3. Women in tech - her experience and advice to anyone listening

4. Entrepreneurship - the right time and reasons to do your own thing
...more
48min
January 15, 2021 E6 - With Polina Marchenko, super mom juggling 3 parallel ventures and raising her kid
We spoke on a variety of topics ranging from financing the startups, product management, time management, evolving education and employment landscape

Founder of Sideprojct Community for like minded folks to collaborate to build and showcase their skillsets

She Aspired
30 day career coaching program for women to help break into product management

Futurista
Mentorship program for teenage girls to help choose the right career spanning tech, arts , business and more

Polina is currently looking out for mentors across product, data, design and tech - we'll be happy to make the introduction , checkout the last 5 minutes for the details
...more
49min
December 12, 2020 Ep 5: Being candid with Vipul Rawal - Founder, Angel Investor, Senior exec
Ep 5: Being candid with Vipul Rawal - Founder, Angel Investor, Senior exec

He exited his startup just at the cusp of the pandemic to Perfios technologies where he now works.

No BS conversation on his multi startup journey uptil now, both failures and the success of it.

He delved deep into early stage venture funding from people like us and you who are in the ecosystem close enough to have a crack at investing in early stage companies and building wealth.

Hope you like it - thanks!
...more
45min
November 24, 2020 Being candid with Akshay Yadav, the "Garbage man" and Principal product manager at Audible Magic
On Northstar podcast's fourth episode of the #BeingCandid Series, we talk with Akshay Yadav - the Garbage Man of #Bengaluru. He is currently working as a Principal Product Manager at Audible Magic and has previously led products at Criteo and Cisco after completing his M.B.A. from Haas School of Business - UC Berkeley. He has been a social entrepreneur in India and volunteer for multiple NGOs across India and US.
In this very detailed and deep conversation, we talk about:
- His work at the intersection of massive and super complicated industries of music and IP laws
- Setting up *insert name* a force to reckon with in the waste management space in India
- How to do social service on sides in your busy professional lives
- Practical guide to building ground breaking products, spoiler alert there isn't one, listen to know what the f*** does that mean
- Why #Northstar is such a brilliant term to coin :P
- Life philosophy with the "Salmon" principle
...more
52min
November 04, 2020 With Akash Rupela - Guiness book of world record holder and national champ in cubing on balancing passion and professional life
In the 3rd episode of the Northstar podcast, we speak with Akash Rupela, a Guinness book world record holder in Rubik's Cubing who also has multiple patents working in the Data Science team at Adobe India.

In this episode of the #BeingCandid series, we talk about:
- The Guinness record, what and how did it come about and 43 national records on the way to the world record in cubing
- Transferrable skills and experience from cubing to life
- Side volunteering for World Cube Association to scale Rubik's cubing in Asia
- Impact of early childhood and school life: #backbencher vs #frontbencher dynamics in life
- Life at Adobe and what makes him stick around there

To ask questions from our upcoming hustlers and watch sneak peek short clips of all our series' episodes, subscribe and follow us on Instagram, Youtube and Linkedin.
...more
32min
October 11, 2020 Ep. 2 : Being candid with Swati Rao - a FAANG product leader, currently lead PM at Facebook and ex. product Amazon ( Alexa ) and Intel
We talk about:

1. The power of simply asking
2. Social Media 2020 for career progression
3. Difference in work cultures at Facebook and Amazon
4. Insane responsibility of product people of the large tech companies
5. The next chapter - her initiative where she mentors Product managers and the value it creates

Bonus: We have started taking audience questions to cover during the podcast - this one has a couple of them from our active listeners, feel free to shoot any questions / feedback to us
...more
39min
September 10, 2020 Episode 1: Being candid with Mr. Himanshu Batra - an energetic, Punjabi, serial entrepreneur
1. His choices :
From studying in the small town of Kurukshetra to running his startup to working for Google in US to then leave everything and coming back to India

2. Startup journey :
The shift in risk-taking mindset from his 1st to now, his 3rd stint as an entrepreneur, how has the successful exit from his last venture (Acadview acquired by upGrad) impacted his approach to solving the on-ground problems in the Indian higher education system

3. Value of extracurriculars at work :
Talking about his time at Google, the importance of work-life balance and how feedback and networking can help shape your career

...more
49min
September 07, 2020 Being candid with a super energetic, Punjabi, serial entrepreneur in the US - Mr. H. Batra
Jitesh and I talk to Mr. Batra on:

1. His choices - From studying in Kurukshetra to running his startup to working for Google in US to then leave everything and come back to India
2. Startup journey - The mindset shift from the 1st to now his 3rd stint as an entrepreneur
3. Value of extracurriculars at work - Talking about his time at Google and the importance of work-life balance
---
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thenorthstar/message
...more
3min

FAQs about Northstar:

How many episodes does Northstar have?

The podcast currently has 9 episodes available.